1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus for automatic inflation of river flotation means.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Divers utilizing self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) are able to engage in underwater activity completely independently of persons and equipment on the surface. Consequently, there is no way for anyone to know when a diver is in trouble and has stopped breathing. There is also no way to compel the diver to surface when his air source pressure has dropped to a dangerously low level.
A system for automatically inflating a life jacket when a diver stops breathing is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,147,499, issued to Nelson et al Sept. 8, 1964. This system is relatively complex, requires a rupturable auxiliary air bottle to accomplish the desired inflation of the life jacket, and subjects the diver to extra breathing effort. In that system the driver's exhalations are utilized to maintain a bellows in an inflated state. The bellows collapse in the absence of such exhalations and trigger the inflation system.
A number of devices are available to apprise the diver of the fact that his available air is at a level sufficiently low that he should surface. One such system generates a sonic warning audible to the diver. Another and very widely used system is the so-called "J-valve," which is nothing more than a valve which restricts the flow of air to the diver when the source pressure has dropped to a particular level. At that time the diver experiences difficulty in breathing and must operate the "J-valve" to be able to breath the "reserve" remaining in his air tank. The "J valve" and most of the other systems are simply warning systems which inform the diver of his diminished air supply. They do not cause the diver to ascent, but merely inform him of the prudence of immediate ascent.